Neural stimulation has been proposed as a therapy for a number of conditions. Examples of neural stimulation therapies include neural stimulation therapies for respiratory problems such a sleep disordered breathing, blood pressure control such as to treat hypertension, cardiac rhythm management, myocardial infarction and ischemia, heart failure, epilepsy, depression, pain, migraines, eating disorders and obesity, and movement disorders.
Many proposed neural stimulation therapies include stimulation of a diverse nerve, such as the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve innervates a number of organs. However, stimulation of the vagus nerve can have unintended consequences. For example, it has been reported that stimulation of the vagus nerve may cause an altered voice, coughing, pharyngitis, paresthesia, dyspnea, dyspepsia, nausea and laryngismus.